PERSONA 3R REBIRTH
by TerraMiseriae
Summary: October 4th, 1999 A.D. That was the day Minato Arisato became an orphan, and inherited the power of Death. His parents died, followed by his older twin sister - or did she? - Story following the events of PERSONA 3 - Rated T for curse words
1. Cycle 1: Requiem

**PERSONA3R - Rebirth, Reverse, Reunion**

"Life is nothing but an endless cycle of rebirth and death."

"The path you take will lead you to either your demise or closer to your goal."

"Even if Death welcomes you by his door, don't be afraid."

"Know that even in Death, there is life."

"And so, the wheel turns…"

**~ Cycle 1 - REBIRTH ~**

_You'll live on…In our place._

-Moonlight Bridge, Iwatodai-

-October 4th, 1999. A. D.-

**[DARK HOUR]**

The sound of the ear-piercing screams filled with terror and agony, tires skidding, metal and glass shattering, crumbling noises emitted by the fragile stone pillars and chains of explosions filled the air around Moonlight Bridge. Panic and terror seeped through the air as explosions started in random areas of the large bridge, and people ran out of their cars in waves, rushing to safety.

The crowd was mostly families. Since it was nearing the weekend, many families decided to go on a weekend trip outside the seacoast town of Iwatodai. However, most of them didn't realize that as soon as they'd gotten into their cars, started the engine, passed the bridge, and heard the clock strike twelve, that fateful event had started.

It began with an explosion at the facility on Tatsumi Port Island - a man-made island just a few kilometers away from the Iwatodai coastline. Then, emerging from the debris were deformed creatures with bodies as black as the night and that lurked within the shadows of the darkness. They emerged one by one, from the depths of darkness, and charged into the city, preying on those poor souls who made contact with them. Leading them was a tall figure. It had the body of a human, yet its complexion was as black as the night and its eyes were as yellow as the moon. The human-like "shadow" moved slowly towards the bridge - its eyes were gazing into the distance, while the other "shadows" moved silently behind it.

Soon enough, chaos started at the bridge as the vehicles stopped moving, crashing into one place and another, as the sky turned into eerie green, and several people started turning into large, otherworldly coffins covered in blood - covering the grounds and reflecting the eerily gigantic moon. Panicking, a few people who observed this mysterious phenomenon came out of their cars, rushing to find safety - only to be devoured by the "shadows" that awaited them.

Several people who managed to escape these "shadows" and remain un-transfigured streamed into safety. Among the crowd were two children with blue hair and dazzling grayish-blue eyes. The taller girl with long, silky blue hair was breathing heavily as she led the younger, timid-looking boy through the crowd that was squeezing the two children's tiny bodies.

**"Onee-san…" **the boy wheezed, barely able to breathe, given the suffocating circumstances, **"Where are mother and father? Why aren't they coming with us?"**

Guilt struck the older girl's heart as the words "mother" and "father" rang in her ears. Her grip on her younger brother's tiny hand tightened. She opened her mouth to speak, but the voice that came out was shaking. **"Mom and dad are safe,"** she said in a cracked voice. **"We'll see them later. What's more important is that we get out of here!"** The little boy said no more and obediently let his sister lead the way.

Deep down, the girl felt horrible. She felt horrible for lying to her brother. _Mom and dad aren't safe. We won't see them anytime soon. _She felt even more horrible just remembering it. _After all, the one who killed them was-_

There was another explosion. A nearby stone pillar that came crashing down sent fear to the few escaping citizens. Screams of terror and panic surged through the air as black, shadow-like masses emerged from the darkness and devoured the citizens, one by one, and turned the poor victims into nothing but a lump of sticky black goo. The girl felt her body crushed in the panicking crowd, not noticing that her brother's hand had slipped away from hers.

Soon enough, the crowd vanished at the hands of the "shadows", leaving the little girl alone, lying unconscious on the ground after having been knocked out by a frightened crowd. As the "shadows" loomed closer to her, attempting to devour her as well, an invisible wall appeared, repelling the "shadows" from the girl. The "shadows" staggered backwards as blue mist surrounded the girl's body. The mist thickened and soon enough, a transparent figure emerged from the girl's body. The figure was a lady - with waist-length hair that was similar to the girl's, red eyes that gleamed in the dark, and an onyx-black complexion. She was wearing a turtleneck net-like outfit with belts crossing her breasts, a long grayish-pink shawl that covered her mouth and stretched to her toes, a long skirt with the same muted pink hue, and a black mourning veil. The woman had no legs, but instead, vine-like black cloths, intertwining with each other. The woman also carried some sort of lantern with a small ball of light inside it.

The "shadows" seem agitated at the arrival of the "woman", and began gathering to assault the "woman" in groups. The "woman" looked at the gathering "shadows" with her empty crimson-red eyes and lifted her lantern into the air. In an instant, the "shadows" were surrounded by a ring of fire. Several remaining "shadows" that managed to escape the ring fled, while their other companions remained trapped in the ring, eventually vanishing into a black smoke as the fire grew larger and crushed them all. The "woman" lowered her lantern as the "shadows" fled and closed her eyes. With that, she vanished into a thin blue mist.

Groaning, the girl opened her eyes slowly and struggled to stand up. She looked at her surroundings. Empty. Nothing was there. She wondered what had happened while she was unconscious. Suddenly, she remembered something important. Her brother. His tiny hand was no longer in hers.

**"Oh my goodness!" **She gasped in horror. **"Minato? Minato! Minato, where are you?"** She screamed into the empty air. Her voice echoed across the deserted bridge, but there was no response. The girl stood up and ran back toward the direction she had come from, in pursuit of her brother. While running, she constantly called his name, hoping to hear even the faintest hint of his voice.

Standing in the middle of the bridge, facing a shattered metal box that had once served as a car, was a pale-faced boy with blue hair. He stood motionless, watching the smoke that came from the beaten-up car, and the two pale, unmoving hands that could be seen through the cracks in the car exterior - the hands that could no longer protect him and hold him. Their warmth had been lost forever.

**"Minato!"** The girl, noticing her brother ran at him and held his shoulders. **"There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you! Are you all right? You're not hurt, are you? Oh, Minato! Don't you dare worry me like that again!"** She let out a long sigh of relief and hugged her brother.

The boy averted his gaze from his sister and looked instead at the remains of the tragedy that had taken the lives of the people he'd treasured the most - now gone forever, away from their reach. **"Onee-san…"** the boy spoke slowly. **"…They're gone, aren't they?"**

The girl held the young boy's face's gently. There was no sign of those rosy cheeks that emerged whenever she held his face. In his eyes, there was emptiness and traces of despair. No longer could she sense the will to live in him. She knelt and hugged the young boy tightly. She broke into silent tears.

She'd let them die.

She knew that she'd left them to die.

She shouldn't have left, but she'd left.

_I am to blame for mother and father's death._

A part of her wanted to die to atone for her unforgivable sin, yet another part of her kept replaying her parents' dying wish.

**'For our sake, you have to live. Your brother is still young. He needs someone to protect him. He needs you. You must protect him - teach him all that he needs to know in order to live on in this world. Know that he needs you more than us. You both have a long road ahead of you. We're sorry that we couldn't protect you any longer… But you must know that-'**

After that, there had been a large explosion. The two children had been by their parents' bodies when the great explosion occurred. The girl's mind returned to her parents' unfinished last words. _What is it that I must know? What was it that you wanted to tell me? I still want to know… I want to know, whether you will ever forgive me or not?_

**"Onee-san?" **The boy whispered in her ears. He felt their hearts beat as one. His sister's tears flowed silently as she held the boy in her embrace. **"Onee-san?"** He called again. The young girl shook her head gently, while her trembling hands continued embracing the boy.

**"It's alright, Minato. It's alright." **She whispered in his ear. **"Onee-san is here. We're here. We're still alive. I'll protect you." **Her gentle, solemn voice was like the rain - sad, yet it washed away all of his fear. However - he didn't realize that it might've been the last time he would be able to listen to that soft, gentle, comforting voice and be embraced by such warm hands that protected him from the world's cruelty.

An explosion emerging from beneath the bridge shook the place and broke the silence that had spread across the bridge. Quickly, the young girl broke their embrace and seized her little brother's hand firmly. **"We need to get out of here!"** She screamed. **"Hurry, this way! And stay close to me!"**

_ I won't let this story end. For mother and father's sake - it won't end. I made a mistake by leaving them. But this time, it won't happen again. I'll never leave my brother behind. He is all… He is all that is left to me. I won't let the same thing that happened to mother and father happen to him!_

There was another explosion from beneath the bridge that sent one of the stone pillars tumbling down to the left, causing the unstable bridge to crumble in that direction. Swiftly, the girl seized her brother to the right and held on to a fallen cable to prevent them from falling.

_Crack._

The sound of a splitting stone pillar to their right sent a surge of fear through the girl. However, by the time she'd realized it, it was too late. The stone pillar was coming down over their heads. Quickly, the girl pushed the young boy away from the falling pillar. Excruciating pain surged through her body as she realized that her tiny legs were crushed underneath the fallen pillar.

**"Onee-san!"** The boy shouted in terror as he approached his sister. An anxious fright was painted on his face. The girl was so annoyed with herself. She couldn't bear to see those expressions on his face. She blamed herself. She blamed herself for losing her brother in the first place. She blamed herself for not being quick enough. She blamed herself for being foolish enough to hold on to that cable in the first place.

**"It's alright, Minato."** She said, trying to ease her brother's fears. **"I'll be fine, just-"**

There was another crack. It was coming from the pillar next to the one that pinned her legs. Terror rushed to her mind. This time, she couldn't do anything. Her tiny legs were pinned to the ground helplessly. She couldn't protect him. The only way was to…

**"Minato." **She said, looking down at the ground. Her voice was shaking. **"Leave me. Get out of here!"** The boy looked at his sister with surprise. **"No! I'm not leaving you behind, onee-san! We're going together!"** The cracking noise got louder. The girl, shaking, took the boys' hands in hers.

**"Minato…" **she said slowly. She looked like she was about to cry. **"Listen to me… You're still young. You still have a long road ahead of you. My road ends here, but yours is still long, Minato. That's why you need to live! Live on, and continue your story!"** The boy looked at his sister with horror. **"Nee-san! What are you talking about? Don't talk like that at a time like this!"**

**"JUST LISTEN TO ME!"** The girl said in a higher tone, with pleading eyes. Tears were rolling down on her cheeks**. "Because I…I might not be able to talk to you again after this… But don't be afraid, Minato…" **Her trembling voice slowly gathered strength**. "You'll live, Minato. You'll live on, for us… When there are times that you feel like you're alone, know that you never are. We'll always be with you, Minato. I'll always be with you…Watching your every single step…We'll always be together, no matter what. I promise."** Her face was smiling, but her hands were trembling as she said it.

**"Onee-san…"**

She knew that she was going to die. She knew that her end was inevitable, but…

_I just can't let him die…_

The cracking noises grew louder as the pillar started to crumble down upon the two children. **"Minato, you have to go, now!"** The girl screamed as she broke into a cold sweat.

**"But-!"** the boy objected.

**"Just go, NOW!"**

Mustering all of her strength, the girl pushed they boy away. For just a moment, as she pushed her brother away, a vision of transparent, lady-like figure looking like an older version of herself, a black complexion, and blood-red eyes emerged. The apparition lifted the lantern she was carrying and sent a gust of strong wind to help blow her brother out of harm's way. She thought she was seeing things.

_I'm going to die after all…_

She looked up at the pillar that was coming down upon her. _This is it. I'm going to die. I'm not afraid. Everyone will die in the end. This is…merely my punishment. But…_

The young boy picked himself off the ground and looked in the distance at his sister. He could've sworn that just for a moment, he too, saw the lady-like being, kneeling beside his sister during her final moments. He turned his gaze to her sister's face. The soft, gentle face was covered with tears, yet she was smiling. Her smile was so mild and tender, as if comforting him, telling him not to cry. The boy ran with all of his might toward his sister. His screams, calling her name, were like music to the girl's ears. As the pillar grew closer, her pale lips moved, and she whispered slowly:

**"Forgive me, Minato."**

The sound of that single crushing pillar, to the young boy's ears, was much louder than all the explosions and crowd's screams combined. He wanted to move his body, but he could feel that every single bit of will to do so had faded away - along with his sister. He fell to his knees and watched as streams of blood gushed in his direction.

The warm hands that had always protected him were gone. That smile. Those eyes. That gentle, angelic voice. They were no longer here. No longer would he feel his sister's warm hands in his - hear her whisper at night - feel her soft, beautiful hair blowing in the summer breeze - listen to her melodic voice or the sound as their hearts beat together as one.

Those days. That person. Those feelings. They were gone forever.

**"HINATO-NEESAN!"**

There was nothing left for him.

Nothing but Death awaited him.

-to be continued-


	2. Cycle 2: Poenitentia

**~ Cycle 2 - REBIRTH ~**

_Those days are gone now._

-?, ?-

-?, ?. A. D.-

**[?]**

The sudden swell of pain had subsided. The pain had been excruciating, yet it had come and gone so swiftly. The girl felt her lifeless body lying on cold, solid ground. The ground was rocky, so she assumed that she was no longer in her "world". Her bluish-gray eyes were shut tightly - even though she had tried to open them many times, her last, tiny bit of strength hadn't proven to be enough.

Her world was pure black. Darkness. Nothingness.

Finally, her curiosity won her over and her fading strength allowed a small gap to emerge between her eyelids, providing her with a blurry sight of her new "world".

It was still black. Darkness. Nothing. Only Death.

As her consciousness started to fade, she listened to the sound of her own breathing. There was nothing more she could do - except to wait it out, wait until her heart stopped beating. She listened to the sound of her heartbeat as it grew slower and slower. Her body felt numb. She couldn't even feel the cold ground beneath her any longer. She sensed that every single essence that bound her to mortality and the world of the living had faded away.

Still… She wasn't afraid. She wasn't afraid, even though she knew that she was about to die - that Death was waiting for her at the door. Not a single fear was etched upon her gentle, pale face. Instead, there was strength - strength to accept her fate.

_…Strength? Really? No, more like…_

Her life flashed back before her. Those days - those warm days that she'd spent with her family… The day they'd gone to Okinawa for summer vacation… The day she and her brother had first entered Elementary school together… The day she and her brother had gone on a picnic and had nearly gotten lost in the forest…

_Those days are gone now. My death has erased them all._

Her heartbeat grew slower. She knew that the time was near. The moment was upon her. In the darkness before her face, as she lied down, accepting her fate, a face emerged. It was her brother's face. His cold, dim, frail face, carried a mixture of despair, sadness and fear. Shocked, the girl opened her eyes with a start. Her dazzling blue eyes were filled with fear.

_Minato!_

_ What will happen to him now that I'm dead?_

_ Is he all right? Did he manage to get to safety?_

_ What if something bad happened to him?_

Guilt struck her heart.

_It was my fault. What if something horrible befell him? I promised him, but… I wasn't able to fulfill my promise… To him…To mother…and father, too…_

The girl slowly closed her eyes.

_I was so foolish… Why was I even born? I caused all of this. I don't deserve life. This death is my way to repent for all of my sins. But-_

Again, her brother's face emerged in her dark-shrouded mind. His sad, lonely eyes gazed emptily at her, although the girl could felt the message those eyes delivered to her -

- **"don't go."**

_Minato… Please forgive me… Forgive your foolish aneki… I couldn't protect you… I couldn't protect mother or father… Forgive me…_

At that moment, she felt the desire to forget. Forget everything. All that tortured her. The guilt, the pain, the memories, she wanted them to go away. Yet, there was another side of her…that feared it. Her heart was burdened with the thought of her brother, on his own, treading the path of cruelty that life had given him. He was so small, yet he was all alone. She felt horrible for having left him behind, alone, to face life. Then, she realized that-

_ I'm scared._

**"Are you?"**

A cold man's voice echoed in the darkness, breaking the solemn silence.

_Who's there? Who are you?_

**"Do you wish to forget?"** The voice said again. **"Fear not, my dear child. I shall grant you what you desire… All that you wish shall be yours, and all that you fear shall be washed away… I shall be your staff that guides you, and I shall be the water that cleanses you…"**

All of a sudden, the numbness in her body vanished. Her strength had returned. Struggling and trembling, the girl tried to stand up. There was another silence as the girl looked around the dark place. Then, suddenly, out of the darkness, a light emerged. For a moment, the girl could see a figure, standing in the light - a man, with hands outstretched to her in supplication.

**"Come to me, my child."**

Then, it all went blank.

-to be continued-


	3. Cycle 3: Adventus

**~ Cycle 3 - REBIRTH ~ **

_She knew she had seen that view once._

-"Anehazuru" Train - 8.47 P.M-

-April 23rd, 2011 A.D-

**[Late night]**

**"-op is Iwatodai…"**

A voice from the train intercom broke a teenage girl out of her thoughts. The girl who sat on one of the empty train seats was quite tall. Even though she looked like she was about sixteen, her height was almost equal to that of an adult man. She had two beautiful grayish-blue eyes that emitted a mysterious and secretive aura. Her waist-length, straight, silky blue hair flowed elegantly, while some of her shorter sideburns curved towards her pale oval face. She was wearing a low-shoulder dark blue sweater and a pair of black jeans, with a white belt encircling it. Her stern eyes were gazing through the window before her, into the darkness of the night. Her pale lips let out a sigh.

**"What a strange dream…"** She muttered underneath her breath and pressed her hand to her forehead - which was covered in cold sweat. She put her hand back on her lap and then tilted her head to her right, staring out the window. As her eyes started to droop, she listened to the sound of her music playing through the headphones she wore.

_'I will burn my dread'_

Each second as she listened to the music, her consciousness started to fade and she dozed off, resting her head on her shoulder.

_'I once ran away from the God of Fear,'_

As her vision turned black, a figure emerged and crossed her vision. It happened in a flash, yet the shape moved gracefully before her. It was a beautiful blue butterfly.

The shock caused the girl to open her eyes with a start and she lifted her head, accidentally bumping it into the wall. The girl clutched her head while clenching her teeth in pain and attracted the attention of the few passengers on the train. The girl nodded her head uneasily and fingered the cylindrical device.

_'-and he chained me to despair.'_

She had always hated insects - butterflies the most, to be exact. But it wasn't the vision just now that irritated her. It was the fact that she'd been having strange dreams ever since she'd decided to move to Iwatodai.

The dreams were similar in some way - the first dream showed her, standing on a destroyed bridge, next to a turned-over car. Her surroundings were eerily bizarre, yet so nostalgic - blood puddles, rows of gigantic black coffins that lined the streets, a large golden moon that hovered in the eerie green night sky. She knew that she had seen that view once before. That dream had been occurring for several days.

The other dream showed the girl herself, standing in a dark room, running after a figure, engulfed in light, endlessly. Her hands were reaching out to the mysterious person. In the last dream, she saw herself sitting in some sort of train, with its interior clad in velvet-blue. She was sitting on a comfortable velvet sofa, facing a mysterious man wearing a mask. He was sitting on the opposite seat, while a beautiful woman with wavy blond hair was sitting next to him, carrying a large book and dressed in the same velvet color. The dreams had appeared not just once or twice, either. They'd appeared almost every night, for as long as she could remember, as if they were haunting her.

The girl tried to shrug off the strange dream. She crossed her arms over her chest and attempted to take a short nap when the train announcement suddenly blared.

**"In a few moments, the train will arrive in Iwatodai. Passengers please check your belongings and take care to gather all belongings before departure. We thank you again for using our service and wish you safety on your next journey."**

The girl groaned in annoyance and stood up from her seat, seized her bag from the cabin above her, and walked toward the exit. While the train slowed down as it reached the platform, she gazed at her sleepy reflection on the train doors.

_Looks like I'm not cut out for sleeping on trains._

-Iwatodai Train Station, Iwatodai- 9.13 P.M

A young woman with wavy brown hair tied in a ponytail was leaning on a black jeep and looking at the silver watch on her wrist. The woman let out a tired sigh and inhaled her cigarette while looking at the sky. **"She's late…"** She muttered.

Suddenly, distant footsteps echoed in the silence of the night and gradually grew louder. The woman tilted her head to her left and noticed the blue-haired girl walking towards her. The girl's stern eyes showed signs of distrust.

**"Oh, there she is."** The woman broke into a smirk and took the cigarette out of her mouth and threw it to the ground, then stepped on it. **"About time you got here. I thought that you missed the train or something."** The blue-haired girl came to a stop and eyed the woman. Her sharp, emotionless eyes stared at the woman as if asking: **"…who the heck are you?"**

As if understanding the question the girl's enigmatic eyes gave away, the woman chuckled and leaned on her black jeep. **"Oh, that's right,"** she said with her eyes closed and folded her arms. **"You don't know me - not yet anyway. I'm not surprised about that, though. After all, you were just a kid back then. Anyways, the name's Kurokawa Hisato. Let's see… I'm your mother's older sister and that about sums it up,"** she said, holding out her hand to shake the blue-haired girl's, who took it with a disinterested look on her face. "**So, let me be the first to say: Welcome to Iwatodai. It's not as big as Tokyo, but you'll love it here, umm…"** The woman stopped and put her hand on her chin. "I'm sorry, what was your name again?"

_Here comes the worst part._

The girl despised her name. She despised it because people had often laughed at her in her youth because of her name. That's why; if possible, she tried to avoid encounters with strangers, in which she would have to introduce herself. The girl was silent for a while before she finally took off the headphones and spoke in a calm, gracious voice, **"Minato. Haruya Minato."**

**"Ah, yes, yes, of course. Tomoe's Minato-chan."** The woman laughed heartily. **"I heard about the tragedy that has befallen poor Yoichi,"** the woman called Hisato said with a sympathetic look. **"And poor Tomoe also got in that terrible car crash as well… I'm sorry to hear that - it must have been tough to live on your own all this time."**

Minato shrugged. **"Somewhat."** She'd never recalled her parent's passing to be as 'tragic' as she imagined it must've been. In fact, it all seemed so natural to her. Death was a natural thing. People died every second. Mourning over it wouldn't bring them back, now would it? At least, that's what she had believed. But that wasn't the only reason that her parent's deaths seemed so bland.

To Minato, her past was like her favorite color: Black. She had no memories of her past. No idea about how she was when she was just a child. Not a single trace remained. Her parents were nothing but illusions. She wasn't even sure that they had existed in this world and raised her into the young woman she was.

**"Well, enough of that now."** The woman seized her coat and opened her car door. **"I'm sure remembering those will do nothing but hurt your feelings more, and it's getting late and colder out here. We need to get you and your stuff into your room at the dorm."** Minato knelt down to pick up her luggage, but paused for a moment to see the reflection of the moon in a puddle at her feet. She looked at the golden celestial body hovering in the sky as she stood up. Letting out a small "hm", she averted her gaze and hopped in the car.

As the car rolled past the puddle-filled streets of Iwatodai, Minato looked with sleepy eyes through the thick car windows, trying to get a good look at her "new" home. With her eyes growing weaker and weaker by the moment and the raindrops running down the car window, the distant lights of the city were nothing but a blur..

**"So, what do you think about our town?"** Hisato asked her while steering. **"It's not Tokyo, but hey, you can find anything here. No, seriously."** Minato replied with a low "hmm", keeping her gaze fixed on the view outside the window. She then noticed that the car passed a tall building on their right. For some reason, Minato found her eyes locked onto the building. Something from inside it caught her interest and piqued her curiosity.

**"Kurokawa-san,"** she said, **"what is that building we've just passed?"** Hisato looked at the building through the back mirror for a brief moment, then back to the road ahead.

**"Oh, that,"** she said slowly. **"That's the Iwatodai dorm. It was closed down last year, though. Now, the only dorm in the city is the one I'm managing, also the place you'll be staying at from now on."**

Minato hummed in acknowledgement and looked back at the building. It was deserted, dark and neglected, yet something about it made the blue-haired teen eager to explore it. All of a sudden, she could have sworn that she saw a light flickering from the far end of the second floor of the building. Minato's misty blue eyes widened in surprise, she rubbed her eyes in disbelief, then looked again. The light had vanished.

_Was that… Just my imagination? Or maybe… I just need a good night's sleep._

-New Iwatodai Dorm, Iwatodai - 9.45 P.M-

Minato's eyes opened lazily as she felt the car stop. She rubbed her eyes and picked up her bag, then stepped out of the car. Hisato was taking her luggage out of the trunk. **"Ah, you're up,"** the woman said at the sight of Minato coming out of the car. **"Well, here we are - the new Iwatodai dorm. It's not as big as the old one, but I guarantee the comfort!"**

The blue-haired girl eyed the building. Unlike the previous dorm, this particular one had only three floors; four, including the rooftop. The building was painted beige, with a bricked wall. It was different, but the structure was rather similar to the old dorm.

**"Hayato! Hayato, come here!"** Hisato called into the building. Soon enough, a tall teenage boy wearing a sleeveless hoodie, a pair of bleached jeans and a polo shirt came out of the building. He was taller than Minato, had messy black hair, and looked somewhat similar to Hisato, only the look on his face was slightly friendlier than hers.

**"Yes, mother? What is it?"** he said politely, with a sleepy look on his face. As his garnet orbs met with Minato's hazy sapphire eyes, he came to a halt, and just stood there, looking at her. **"Mother, who's this?"** He asked. **"Is this the new person you mentioned earlier?"**

**"Yes, Hayato, this is Minato-chan. Auntie Tomoe's only daughter. She'll be staying with us from now on. Minato-chan, this is my step-son, Hayato. He's in the same grade as you."** Hisato said.

The boy named Hayato gave a small nod and walked towards Minato, offering his hand to shake hers. **"Nice to meet you, Haruya-san. I heard about Aunt Tomoe. It must be hard. I hope we can get along well."**

Minato, with a disinterested gaze, took his hand in a handshake. **"The feeling's mutual,"** she replied with a low voice.

**"Well, should I take you to your room then?"** Hayato said with a weak smile and took her luggage, while Hisato ushered Minato to the lounge just inside the entrance. The lounge was quite large, with a couple of air conditioners, as well as a couple of large dark red leather sofas that surrounded a small, round crystal table. Across from the sofas was a TV, not exactly a widescreen one, but still quite large. The walls were painted medium- beige, and a comfy black and gold-patterned carpet was spread out on the floor. Hisato ordered Minato to take off her sneakers and place them in the shoe caddy that stood next to the entrance, framed by a pair of dark brown, mahogany doors.

Hisato led her to the second floor corridor, while Hayato moved ahead to take her luggage upstairs. After ascending the stairs and reaching the stairway hall, she took a turn into the right corridor. **"This, the East wing, is the girls' dorm area, and the boys' dorm is over there at the West wing,"** she explained. **"Your room is at the end of the corridor. Hayato should already be there with your stuff."**

Minato muttered a weak "thanks" and heaved off her rucksack, then walked slowly towards the end of the corridor to the furthest room. As she walked past the doors, she noticed some doors had nameplates on them, while others didn't. Among them there were names like: "拍冥- Hakumei", "宮華- Miyake", "富士屋- Fujiya" and "香住 - Kasumi". Reaching the furthest room, she saw the door with the nameplate "春谷 - Haruya", and standing next to it was Hayato, who was rummaging through his jean pocket for the key.

**"Ah, Haruya-san,"** he said, noticing her presence, **"I'm sorry, could you wait just a little bit? I-I'm sure I've put the key here…"** Minato gave a small shrug, and then she, too, reached inside her pocket, and fished out a small silver key.

**"…Is this it?"** she said with her trademark monotonous voice.

Hayato, surprised, took the key and nodded in gratitude. **"Th-thank you, Haruya-san. My apologies, I should've been more careful,"** he said as he opened the door. **"W-well, it's getting late, so I should let you rest for the night. G-good night,"** he said as he trod off towards the boys' dorm. After watching him disappear into the stairway hall, Minato closed the door behind her.

The room was quite big, with the same painted beige wall and a polished, light brown wooden floor. Inside the room there was a TV, a bed against the same wall, a small table with an alarm clock, a large wooden cupboard, a vanity, and a sink. Outside, through the window, Minato could see it starting to rain once more.

Still in her casual clothes, she dropped her heavy body to the comfy bed, lying face down. The mp3 player played some slow music as her mind drifted away.

**自由な人は浮き世で？**

**自由な人は不安で？**

… In her heart, she had never given much thought to her freedom, let alone others'. But, little did she know, she would soon see just how much that freedom meant to her and to the people close to her -

…_I just hope there won't be any more weird dreams. I need a good sleep._

-to be continued-


End file.
